In recent years, self-service fuel pumps at gasoline stations have become the industry standard. The majority of fuel pumps at gasoline stations are self-service as opposed to full-service. Many consumers prefer to pump their own fuel due to a lower cost. By providing self-service, gasoline stations do not have the extra expense of hiring employees. Self-service fuel pumps allow individual consumers to pump their own gasoline without the need for trained employees to help perform such a service. However, self-service stations open the operation of the gasoline pumps to all types of users. The consequence of providing self-service gasoline pumps at the gasoline stations is that it can be operated by careless, forgetful, or rushed users. Such types of users are prone to forget the removal and replacement of the fuel nozzle to the nozzle mount on the gasoline pump. As a result, the users will drive off while the nozzles are still inserted in their vehicles. The force of the car pulling away causes the hose to be ripped off of the gasoline station. This situation, which is commonly referred to as a “breakaway separation”, a “drive off”, or a “drive away”, can be very dangerous and expensive. The consequences of a breakaway separation can include, a large gasoline leak, damage to the gasoline pump, and damage to the user's vehicle. A large gasoline leak is a large hazard as ignition of the spilled gasoline can result in a large disaster. A large gas station having four islands of three pumps per island may experience at least one to two breakaway separations conditions per month on average.
To address this problem, the present invention introduces a safety system that is able to effectively remind a gas pump user to remove the nozzle from their vehicle and replace it back onto the pump. The safety system provides a visual and audio reminder that is activated by the removal of the nozzle from the gas pump. The visual indicator continually provides a visual reminder and is positioned evidently on the gas pump to increase its chance of being seen. Additionally, the present invention provides a continual, periodical, or one-time audio reminder for the patron to replace the nozzle when they have finished filling their vehicle. By providing very evident reminder to replace a fuel nozzle to the gas pump, the chances of a breakaway separation from occurring is significantly reduce. The present invention saves the gas station owners and the vehicle drivers from any embarrassment or the cost of damage repair to the gas pump or the vehicle.